Many people turn to low fat diets to help them lose weight and burn fat.
Nonetheless, new study suggests that low carb diets may be as beneficial. Furthermore, low carb diets have been demonstrated to improve fat reduction, decrease appetite, and maintain blood sugar homeostasis.
As a result, you may be wondering which is best for weight loss.
This article examines low carb and low fat diets to see how they affect weight.
Basics of each diet
Although both are intended to aid in weight loss, low carb, and low fat diets are organized differently.
Low carb diet
Low carb diets restrict your carbohydrate consumption to varied degrees. They are as follows (1):
- Very low carb diets: fewer than 10% of total daily calories, or 20-50 g per day on a 2,000-calorie diet.
- Low carb diets consume less than 26% of total daily calories, or 130 g per day, on a 2,000-calorie diet.
- Moderate carb diets: 26-44% of total daily calories
It is important to note that very low carb diets are frequently ketogenic, which means that they drastically restrict carb consumption to induce ketosis, a metabolic state in which your body burns fat for energy rather than carbs (1).
Low carb diets often limit sugar-sweetened drinks, baked goods, candies, and sweets. Some variants may also restrict healthful carbohydrate sources such as grains, high carb fruits, pasta, starchy vegetables, and legumes.
Simultaneously, it would help to increase your protein and fat consumption from nutritious sources such as fish, nuts, high fat dairy, unprocessed oils, meat, eggs, and non-starchy vegetables.
Low fat diet
Low fat diets limit fat consumption to less than 30% of total daily calories (2).
Cooking oils, seeds, butter, avocados, nuts, and full fat dairy are often restricted or prohibited.
Instead, you should consume foods that are naturally low in fat, such as fruits, vegetables, egg whites, legumes, whole grains, and skinless chicken. Low-fat yogurt, skim milk, and lean cuts of meat and pig are also occasionally approved.
It’s vital to remember that certain fat-free goods, such as yogurt, may have extra sugar or artificial sweeteners.
Which is better for your health?
Several studies have evaluated the impact of low carb and low fat diets on losing weight and various other health outcomes.
Weight loss
Most studies show that low carb diets are more successful than low fat diets for short-term weight loss (3, 4).
An older 6-month trial of 132 obese persons found that those who followed a low carb diet lost more than three times as much weight as those who followed a low fat, calorie-restricted diet (5).
In a short 12-week trial, teenagers with excess weight who followed a low carb diet lost an average of 21.8 pounds (9.9 kg), whereas those on a low fat diet lost just 9 pounds (4.1 kg) (6).
Similarly, 322 obese patients were randomly assigned to one of three diets: low fat, low carb, or Mediterranean diet. The low carb group shed 10.4 pounds (4.7 kilograms), the low fat group 6.4 pounds (2.9 kilograms), and the Mediterranean group 9.7 pounds (4.4 kilograms) (7).
Another study, however, reveals that low carb and low fat diets may be as helpful in the long run.
Participants lost considerably more weight on a low carb diet than on a low fat diet, according to a study of 17 research. Although the low carb diet remained more beneficial after 12 months, the gap between the two gradually narrowed (8).
Furthermore, two-year research of 61 people with diabetes indicated that low carb and low fat diets resulted in identical weight changes (9).
A major meta-analysis of 48 research indicated that both low fat and low carb diets resulted in comparable weight reduction and that selecting a diet that you can stick to may be the essential component for effective weight control (10).
Fat loss
Most research shows that low carb diets are better for fat reduction.
A short 16-week study indicated that individuals who followed a low carbohydrate, low calorie diet lost more overall fat mass and belly fat than those who followed a low fat diet (11).
A one-year study of 148 participants yielded comparable results (12).
Furthermore, numerous additional research demonstrates that low carb diets are more effective than low fat diets in terms of reducing belly fat (4, 13, 14).
Furthermore, one meta-analysis of 14 research found that low carb diets, exceptionally extremely low carb diets, decreased fat mass in obese people (15).
Hunger and appetite
In general, studies demonstrate that low carbs and high protein diets reduce appetite and increase mood compared to low fat diets, perhaps making them more straightforward to sustain long term (16, 17).
For example, one research of 148 persons found that a low fat diet reduced levels of peptide YY — a hormone that suppresses hunger and increases fullness — more than a low carb diet (18).
This might be attributed to the filling properties of protein and fat. Both of these macronutrients reduce stomach emptying, which helps you feel fuller for longer (19, 20).
Protein and fat have also been proven to influence several hormones that regulate hunger and appetite.
In a short research, high protein and high fat meals elevated levels of the fullness hormone glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) while decreasing levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin (21).
Blood sugar levels
Low blood sugar levels can increase appetite and have significant side effects such as shakiness, exhaustion, and unexpected weight fluctuations (22).
One technique for controlling blood sugar levels is to limit carbohydrate consumption (23).
One research of 56 persons with type 2 diabetes found that a low carb diet was more successful than a low fat diet in regulating blood sugar, boosting weight reduction, and lowering insulin demands (24).
Another tiny research of 31 persons examining the effects of both diets discovered that only the low carb diet lowered circulating insulin levels, leading to enhanced insulin sensitivity (25).
Increased insulin sensitivity can increase your body’s capacity to move sugar from the circulation into cells, resulting in better blood sugar regulation (26).
Nonetheless, 3-month research of 102 persons with diabetes found that a low carb diet was more beneficial for weight reduction than a low fat diet, but there was no significant difference in blood sugar levels (27).
As a result, additional studies on the blood sugar consequences of low carb and low fat diets are required.
Other effects on health
Low fat and low carb diets may have differing effects on other elements of health. These are some examples:
- Cholesterol. A meta-analysis of eight trials indicated that low carb diets were more successful than low fat diets for increasing HDL (good) cholesterol and reducing triglyceride levels. Neither diet had a substantial effect on LDL (bad) cholesterol (28).
- Blood pressure. Although studies demonstrate that both diets can lower short-term blood pressure levels, long-term effects have been mixed (29, 30, 31, 32).
- Triglycerides. Several studies have found that a low carb diet can result in more considerable triglyceride reductions than a low fat diet (14, 28, 33).
- Insulin. Studies on the impact of low carb and low fat diets on insulin levels have shown contradictory results. More study is needed to identify which is superior (5, 25, 34, 35).
The bottom line
Low fat diets are a common way to lose weight.
Low carb diets, on the other hand, have been related to more significant short-term weight loss, as well as enhanced fat loss, less appetite, and improved blood sugar management.
While more research on the long-term impacts of each diet is needed, studies reveal that low carb diets can be just as successful for losing weight as low fat diets – and may even give a few extra health advantages.
Whether you pick a low carb or low fat diet, remember that adhering to an eating pattern over time is one of the most important aspects of weight loss and general health success (36).
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